Austin’s Story

“I first started getting involved with and volunteering with Second Harvest around the time of the Gatlinburg fires. Living in Knoxville I didn’t know how awful it really was and how much it affected the community until I went up there to pass out food. We had a tractor trailer and we were passing out bags to families that were affected, and you can’t imagine how grateful everyone was. Some people lost everything, so not having to worry about food for their family was incredible. And Second Harvest helps people like that in Knoxville, too.

Most people don’t realize that a lot of the people impacted by Second Harvest are people who work three or four jobs trying to make ends meet. They have kids, you know they’re single parent households, and they’re struggling. So Second Harvest being able to help them with food so that they can pay the electric bill or the rent so that their children have a roof over their head – being able to see that impact firsthand is amazing. This is just an awesome organization. I love everything about it, and I’m grateful that I get to hang around and see them grow and help people in our area.”